U.S. will 'stem the tide' of illegal immigration, Johnson pledges

FILE - This June 24, 2014, file photo shows Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson arriving to testify before the House Committee on Homeland Security on Capitol Hill in Washington about the growing problem of unaccompanied children crossing the border into the United States. On NBC's "Meet the Press", Sunday, July 6, 2014, Johnson said that all persons regardless of age face ?a deportation proceeding? if they enter the country illegally. The Obama administration, he said, is ?looking at ways to create additional options for dealing with the children in particular, consistent with our laws and our values.? (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)

WASHINGTON -- The nation's Homeland Security chief vowed Sunday that the Obama administration would "stem the tide" of minors from Central America who have illegally crossed the Southwest border in record numbers in recent months.

Immigration officials have cut the turnaround time for processing deportation of adult immigrant detainees from about 33 days to four and are working to add detention capacity for children and teens who arrive on their own, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said.

Although U.S. officials need to "do right by the children" who are in custody, "at the end of the day ... our border is not open to illegal migration and we will stem the tide," Johnson said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

More than 40,000 unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala have surrendered or been apprehended by Border Patrol officers since October. Another 12,000 unaccompanied Mexican minors have crossed the border since the fall, but most have been bused back, as the law allows.

Officials say a 2008 law signed by then-President George W. Bush has made it nearly impossible to deport unaccompanied minors to Central America unless they first appear before an immigration judge. A growing backlog in the immigration courts has meant that most are sent to live with family in the U.S. while their cases move through the system.

Johnson would not say Sunday if most of the Central American minors would stay in the U.S. or be deported.

The administration has faced sharp criticism for the growing influx of young migrants, which has overwhelmed immigration officials and some border communities. It led to protests last week in Murrieta, Calif., where about 140 immigrants were being bused.

"With all due respect to the administration, they're one step behind," Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said on CNN's "State of the Union." "They should have seen this coming a long time ago."

The Los Angeles Times reported Sunday that the number of immigrants under age 18 who were deported or turned away at ports of entry has fallen dramatically, from 8,143 in 2008 to 1,669 last year, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data.

Republicans say lenient Obama administration policies, including a 2012 program that permits those who came to the U.S. as children before June 2007 to apply for deportation deferrals, have encouraged the recent surge of minors.